Del Potro Opens Up About Wrist Injury Shanghai 2017
Del Potro Opens Up About Wrist Injury Shanghai 2017
Oct132017
World number one Rafael Nadal beat Grigor Dimitrov to register his 15th consecutive win and reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.
The Spaniard won 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes.
Nadal, who has never won the title in Shanghai, will face fourth seed Marin Cilic in the last four.
Elsewhere, sixteenth seed Juan Martin del Potro overcame an injury scare to beat Serbia’s Victor Troicki 4-6 6-1 6-4.
Briton Jamie Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares reached the doubles semi-finals with a 6-1 7-6 (8-6) victory over Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram.
The victory ensured that the pair, who have won two Grand Slams and six titles together, qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.
Top seed Nadal is chasing a tour-leading seventh title this season, and beat Bulgaria’s Dimitrov for the second time in a week following his semi-final victory at the China Open.
The Spaniard, 31, breezed through the first set but was unable to break Dimitrov in the second, and the Bulgarian was strong in the tie-break to force a deciding set.
Dimitrov, ranked eighth in the world, had break point early in the third set, but Nadal saved it with a backhand volley before winning three consecutive games.
World number five Cilic secured his place in the semi-finals with a routine victory over Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
The Croat, who has yet to drop a set in this year’s tournament, served 10 aces as he registered a 6-3 6-4 win.
There was a worry for Del Potro midway through the third set when he slipped backwards and appeared to jar his left wrist.
The Argentine has had three operations on his wrist, which forced him to miss 11 months of tennis, and at first appeared unable to hold his racquet properly.
However, he recovered to take Troicki to deuce – courtesy of two big forehands – and ultimately break his serve, before holding to love in the next game.
Del Potro was seen by the physio twice but continued to play, and hit a series of delicate backhands as he went on to win the match.
He will next play either Roger Federer, who he beat in the US Open quarter-finals last month, or France’s Richard Gasquet.
Maria Sharapova reached her first semi-final since returning from a doping ban as she beat Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele at the Tianjin Open.
The Russian took one hour and five minutes to beat Voegele, ranked 196th in the world, 6-3 6-1 in China.
Sharapova was broken in the first game of the match but hit back straight away, using her forehand to break down her opponent.
She will face either Sara Sorribes Tormo or third seed Peng Shuai next.
Sharapova, who returned from a 15-month ban in April, has yet to drop a set in Tianjin.
After taking the first set with a love hold, the world number 86 won five consecutive games to take control of the second, before sealing the match with a forehand winner.
Four of the Top 6 seeds are featured in Friday’s quarter-finals at the Shanghai Rolex Masters with No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 2 Roger Federer, No. 4 Marin Cilic and No. 6 Grigor Dimitrov headlining the action on Stadium. No. 16 seed and 2013 finalist Juan Martin del Potro is also remaining.
In the opening match on Stadium, Cilic brings a 3-2 head-to-head record against unseeded Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who is one of four first-time quarter-finalists in Shanghai (Dimitrov, Gasquet, Troicki). Cilic, who has not been broken in 21 service games this week, is appearing in his second Shanghai QF (2012) and 11th QF this season (6-4 in QFs).
View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup for Day 5 of the Shanghai Rolex Masters and vote for who you think will win!
Nadal vs Dimitrov | Federer vs Gasquet | Cilic vs Ramos-Vinolas | del Potro vs Troicki
In the next match on, Nadal enters with a 14-match winning streak and looks for his 10th win over Dimitrov, the second in as many weeks. Nadal is 9-1 against the Bulgarian and last week he won in three sets in the Beijing SFs. If Nadal reaches the SFs, he will tie Andre Agassi for sixth place on the Open Era career wins list with 870. Dimitrov is 1-8 lifetime against World No. 1s, defeating Novak Djokovic in the 2R at 2013 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid.
In the third match on, unseeded Viktor Troicki looks for his first win (0-6) against del Potro, who will return to the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday for the first time since Oct. 6, 2014 (at No. 19). Troicki is appearing in his second career ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final (2011 Monte-Carlo). The Argentine is trying to reach his third SF of the season (Delray Beach, US Open).
In the final match on, 2014 champion Federer takes on unseeded Richard Gasquet for the 18th time and they are meeting in the 10th different country. Federer leads the head-to-head 15-2, including 9-0 on hard courts. Federer won the last meeting in the QFs at the 2015 US Open. Gasquet has lost seven in a row to the Swiss since a 3R win at 2011 ATP Masters 1000 Rome. Federer is appearing in his fourth QF here (3-0) and he is 6-1 in QF matches in 2017. Gasquet is trying to earn his 30th career Top 10 win (29-92) and first since 2016 Roland Garros (d. Nishikori).
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Federico is the brother of 2004 Roland Garros finalist Guillermo Coria
It is no secret that progressing as a professional tennis player requires sacrifice and patience. The higher you climb, the tougher the opponents become.
Federico Coria has been ready to tackle that challenge since leaving the juniors seven years ago, and now is starting to achieve his goals.
After a strong 2016 season during which he was the top Argentine on the ITF Futures Circuit, at one point winning four consecutive titles, Coria made another jump forward this season, competing on the ATP Challenger Tour. As expected, the transition has been demanding, but nonetheless he shows signs of improvement. This week, Coria has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Copa San Cristobal in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after defeating compatriot Juan Pablo Ficovich.
“I’m happy to keep advancing in the tournament. It´s a beautiful club, where I trained for a year and a half. I have the best memories of it. And because friends, my girlfriend, and my new team – headed by coach Francisco Yunis — watched,” Coria said. “When they’re here, you have to take the best from them. It’s a great feeling to be accompanied. Most of the season I’m alone.”
Alone or not, Coria’s results have been increasingly solid.
“Last December, I was afraid of confronting this year by playing only Challengers. But now I’m not,” Coria said. “My objective was to change the points from Futures to Challengers. If I end up with a better ranking, that´s good. In Biella I made it to the quarters and in San Benedetto to the semis. This season started well.”
Since breaking into the Top 250 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, “Fefo” played Wimbledon and US Open qualifying after missing the cut at Roland Garros qualifying by only two spots.
“It was difficult not to be impressed by everything,” Coria said of the experience. “I always dreamed to be there.”
Federico, 25, is inspired by his older brother’s legacy. But Guillermo, a former World No. 3 and the 2004 Roland Garros finalist, cannot just be his hero, Federico says.
“I want him to stop being my idol, a little bit, so he can be my brother because I see him and I keep shaking. I grew up watching him doing all that he did on TV. So, I was never able to enjoy him as a brother, from another side,” Coria said.
“Today, with 25 years, I want to change that. Always, when I finish a match, I have a message from him. He’s very aware of me, but gives me space. He supports me, but doesn’t get into anything. The message that he leaves me is that I have to win everything for myself and enjoy tennis. Every win I live it like that and I’m much less dramatic in defeat.”